


Catch That Shadow

by SunshineMoon (CaptainSpace)



Category: Kamen Rider W (Double)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Female Kamen Riders, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-02 03:04:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11500440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainSpace/pseuds/SunshineMoon
Summary: Akiko unearthed a bit of her father's spirit within her during the Sonozaki mansion infiltration. In which that spirit carries her further than she could have imagined. (Begins in the immediate aftermath of episode 10.)





	Catch That Shadow

Wearing an exaggerated parody of an old-time detective's outfit, caked in some kind of...dough?...that that Dopant had produced, and having just risked life and limb by breaking a chair over said monster's head in defence of her client, Akiko was just about ready to flee home, shower and sleep for a week. But lo, just as she left the Sonozaki mansion behind, there _she_ was.

 

“Well hey there, Miss Maid Detective,” Wakana said, sliding her phone into her pocket as if she'd _just_ hung up and was really very busy and you were honestly lucky she was gracing you with even this much of her time.

 

“Uh...h-h-hi...” And now Akiko's mind was replaying the _other_ parts of the case. The parts where she'd said some inadvisable things, but that was so easy to do when you felt like you were walking on clouds because the person you were faced with was—

 

Wakana snapped her fingers to clear the wannabe-private-eye's daze. “Look, hear me out. You may have been on your case or whatever, but you were the most interesting person we've had around in a while!”

 

“...really? I thought I kinda made a mess of things...”

 

“Compared to the walking skeletons we call a staff? You're _such_ a breath of fresh air! I'm dreading what it'll be like without you now...” Wakana extended a hand. “So what do you say? Want to come back and carry on your job, for real?”

 

Akiko stood staring for a moment, then turned away with folded arms. “Hey now! I was only pretending to work for you to solve that case, all right? I don't have any interest in—”

 

“And how's your detective business going? Bills piling up?” The resulting silence said it all. “I thought so. Look, you've seen how we live. I can pay you an _unreasonable_ amount just to be there part-time and, if you do your job properly, I can keep the rest of the staff off your back. Plus! You'll get to spend more time around me, eh?”

 

“And what makes you think I'm interested in _that!_ ” This came out a little more forcefully than was convincing.

 

“...seriously?” Wakana laughed. “You're doing this _now_? I don't know, something about the way you twirled up to me then framed me in a heart-shape with your fingers while declaring 'Love-Love!' seemed just a little affectionate.”

 

“I!

 

“Look!

 

“You!

 

“...okay how _much_ money? Aaah, I didn't hear about this...”

 

* * *

 

 

It was less daunting than she expected. The other maids didn't exactly _like_ her, but they seemed intimidated by her after the whole detective business. And she wasn't exactly _good_ at the job, but she was messing up less now she was doing it for its own sake. The uniform was silly, but the whole mansion seemed to exist in some dream-world of the super-rich so she could separate it from reality in her mind somewhat, at least. And it seemed to amuse Wakana.

 

Because yes, of course...there was also Wakana.

 

Nothing had, as such, _happened_ yet, but there was Fuuto's favourite radio personality and collective heartthrob, feet away, chatting with her, and getting more achingly gorgeous by the day. Akiko wasn't stupid, of course; she knew that level of feeling wasn't mutual. From Wakana's point of view, she probably wasn't even at 'interest'—maybe something like a particularly amusing pet?

 

_Am I at least a cute one—_ She cut that line of thinking off immediately, almost breaking a priceless ancient vase she'd been polishing in the process.

 

The rest of the family she did her best to avoid. There was something _off_ about Ryubee, and even when he complimented her work she felt some animal instinct at the base of her brain screaming to run. Saeko hated her, but then Saeko hated most people. Kirihiko was nice at least, but so nice it was off-putting. Sometimes he even volunteered to help out, which Akiko could never be sure wasn't some plot to make her look lazy.

 

Philip and Shotaro didn't mind her taking up part-time work; none of them could deny they needed the money. The choice of venue was sure to make them lose their minds, of course, which is why in her infinite wisdom she had chosen to lie through her teeth. As far as they knew, she was some minor foreign politician's personal assistant, working from a different net café each day as per his eccentric instructions. They'd probably have been more inquisitive if a new case hadn't dropped into their laps—something about a car Dopant? A “crying car”? Philip never made much sense. But he always called her a genius so they'd become fast friends.

 

Shotaro, now...honestly, we was a nice enough guy, but he was way too obsessed with that 'hard-boiled' stuff. He got _that_ from Akiko's dad, who incidentally, Sho always clammed up completely when pressed about exactly how long he'd be away for. She trusted him enough to believe he had some reason, but she couldn't help feeling like they'd be able to get along much better once her dad was back and there wasn't that hanging over their conversations.

 

Time passed. Akiko worked. Wakana teased. Sho and Philip solved their car-Dopant case and all was well that ended well, except for everyone that got poisoned, run over and hospitalised along the way (she wasn't really listening to the details as Sho excitedly recounting them; rather too busy squeezing the nearest pillow in a tight hug and pretending it was a stylish heiress).

 

The next case Narumi Detective Agency took on was a little harder to ignore.

 

* * *

 

 

“A fan?” Akiko repeated.

 

“Exactly!” Philip, talking over the phone from back in the hangar, almost ran out of walkway to pace over, swivelling on his heel at the last moment to pace back the other way. “All these locations he's attacking, these 'presents'—they're based on things you said you liked in an interview last month. After the candles and the amusement park, can you think of the next—”

 

Wakana shoved the phone away, face twisting into a _“Tch!”_ so fast Akiko almost missed it. “Yeah, I remember the next damn question.”

 

“Uh...Miss Wakana...?” Akiko asked as her employer grabbed her coat from its office hook. “Where are you going?”

 

“This guy thinks he can mess with me?” she was snarling. “I don't have to put up with this!” She hovered in the doorway, debating with herself how to explain her rashness to Akiko so she didn't do anything stupid. “Look...don't worry about me.” She fished her Gaia Memory out and held it up. “I'll be fine with this.”

 

“Hey! That's—!” Akiko pointed with fervour, finger trembling. “Look, Miss, those are always trouble!”

 

“I said don't _worry_ ,” Wakana said, tucking it back away with a smirk. “Though I appreciate the thought. My Memory is a tool for self-defence. I'm not about to go rob a bank or anything. I use it with a Driver, just like our city's beloved Kamen Rider, so my sanity won't degenerate.”

 

“You're just like W—uh, the Rider?”

 

“A little. But I'm not riding around saving people, either.” She opened the door, flashing a grin before slipping out. “I'm just a selfish girl using violence to settle something personal. You might want to properly think about whether your adorable little crush is wise, hmm?”

 

Akiko was left in silent contemplation for a good thirty seconds before snapping back to reality with a yell and chasing off after her.

 

* * *

 

 

“You're here, aren't you?” Wakana called out, stomping around the big industrial building. “This was the next answer in the interview.” Her voice slipped from acidic to saccharine in a second. “ _Oh, I just lo-o-ove the view from my window each morning! Fuuto Tower looks so majestic on the skyline!_ So now here _you_ are, hoping to wreck this building and give me my clear view back. You are here, aren't you?”

 

The Dopant lurched out of the shadows, a bulky mechanical mess in black and white. It started making its methodical way towards her, and she stood her ground, taking out her Memory and hitting the button.

 

_CLAY DOLL_ , it rumbled as it reshaped her body into a smooth, hard-shelled monster. She saw the stalker Dopant hesitate at this. “Surprised? Get a little power and think no-one can touch you? Messing with me like that...you can go straight to hell.”

 

Akiko arrived just in time to see them clash, heavy limbs smacking against each other. The stalker's top-heavy build drove its wrecking-ball fist in with deadly force, but as Wakana flew back she swung a leg up and caught the same bulk, tipping the larger Dopant back; they both went down, and she recovered quicker, the cannons on her transformed arms glowing for a moment before spitting forth a barrage of burning orange plasma, digging into their target with a painful hiss. It stumbled back with a pained shriek, shielding its face against the continued fire until it became untenable.

 

Suddenly it smashed its spherical fist into the ground, some kind of reaction rippling up through its body—and _contracted_ into some kind of lumpy sphere of solid metal with just the one arm protruding, which it quickly became apparent was used to propel the Dopant-ball along by further punches to the ground. On the first pass, Wakana dodged without much trouble, but she found her back to the wall of the building her stalker had come to destroy, and it was already sailing back towards her, landing a direct hit—and shattering the Clay Doll Dopant into pieces!

 

Akiko let out a sharp gasp at the murder she'd just witnessed, and of the subject of her admiration no less, but was too stunned by the suddenness to have any louder reaction. The Dopant, meanwhile, stood awkwardly in place now it was back in humanoid form; clearly it had expected Wakana to be more resilient, not intending on killing her outright.

 

Before either of them could recover from their shock, the fragments on the ground began to vibrate, then draw together, clicking into place when they came into contact. In response to this, a mousy woman darted out from behind the building, scooped up two large handfuls of the clay pieces and shoved them into the bag, running over to the stalker and shoving him towards where she'd come from.

 

“Come on!” she hissed. “This should stop her reforming properly!”

 

“Killing her wasn't the plan...” the Dopant mumbled, his voice distorted. “That's not what I wanted...”

 

“She'll be fine!” the apparent ringleader urged in that hurried-lie tone of voice. “Do you want her to kill _us_? Hurry!” The pair bustled off, leaving Akiko to run up to Wakana's slowly-reforming body.

 

“Are you all right?!” She slowly manoeuvred the hefty clay monster over to the wall to rest her against it sitting up.

 

“Hardly...” Wakana groaned. “I can't stay in this form forever...and if I turn back human missing this much of my body..." She snapped into focus. "You recognised her, right?”

 

Akiko nodded. “The DJ who comes on after you...Motoko?” She'd lost a good deal of ratings thanks to everyone tuning into Wakana's show, so the motive was there. “Don't know who the Dopant was, though...”

 

“That's your job, Miss Maid _Detective._ ”

 

Akiko was briefly surprised before reminding herself of her dual jobs, stepping back and saluting. “Yes, ma'am! Consider the case solved!” With a wink and a lopsided grin for good measure, she turned on her heel and raced off.

 

Tailing the pair wasn't easy, Akiko hardly blending in with her silly outfit, but walking the beat with Sho a few times she must've subconsciously absorbed some of his incessant dronings—hiding-places and shortcuts suggested themselves to her, and she managed to keep pace while staying out of sight. She couldn't get close enough to make out who the DJ's companion was, but they both entered the radio station's offices, and she wasn't aware of any other exits than the front.

 

So. The culprit was in that building. The main problem now was figuring out how to infiltrate something in a frilly maid dress. Actually, that was far from the main problem but thinking of it that way let her ignore all the ones that ended in painful death.

 

* * *

 

 

The woman working the reception desk yawned. It had been a long, slow day. Two employees rushing in in a hurry just now was practically the only thing to have happened since she clocked in. It was one of those yawns that merely serves to prompt a longer yawn a moment later. During this second one, while her eyes were squeezed shut, she heard what almost sounded like someone shoving the flimsy doors open, followed by what almost sounded like someone slamming into the front of the desk below her, just under her field of view as her eyes opened again, and finally what almost sounded like someone giving an intense whisper:

 

“ _SHHH!”_

 

She shrugged and laid her head back on the desk, pretty sure she'd sleepily imagined the whole thing.

 

Blissfully unaware of the closeness of that particular call, Akiko slapped down the hand she'd subconsciously raised into a finger-gun while crouched against the desk. _Infiltration—start!_

 

A few minutes of darting from cover to cover, and one instance of stumbling into the wrong room and hastily babbling that she was in the wrong room for 'the convention', not entirely sure what she meant by that, ensued, until finally: There! Motoko was just sitting down in her office, probably scripting tomorrow's broadcast. The bag containing the stolen clay pieces was resting at her feet. In one swift motion, Akiko burst through the door and jammed two fingers into the DJ's back.

 

“Don't move!” she hissed, hoping it felt convincingly enough like a gun.

 

“Wha—What do you want?”

 

Akiko's mind raced. She should just take the bag and run, logic said. Take it back to Wakana, tell the boys what had happened, and between all of them things would be taken care of.

 

_But...she gave_ me _this case!_

 

_Of course I'm gonna get this back to her. But...if I'm doing this whole detective thing, I can't half-ass it! When dad comes home, I wanna show him I'm just as cool as him!_

 

_I can do more than just run. I can expose the Dopant's identity...I just gotta say something that'll make her call for him._

 

The bluff occurred to her immediately, and almost as fast she realised it was hardly even a bluff at this point. “You've taken something very important,” she said in her best attempt at a gruff-hitman voice. “The Sonozaki family sends its regards.”

 

“Before you pull that trigger...” Motoko said, sliding her desk back. “You might want to worry about your own life.” In the desk's new position, the panic button on the underside was clearly visible.

 

The door was flung open, Akiko shoving Motoko away and whirling to see—Wakana's manager, Tsuyoshi, a well-groomed little man who...did have a tendency to vanish at awkward moments, now Akiko thought about it.

 

“So, here's your fall guy?” Akiko said, keeping her distance from them both.

 

Motoko sat up, chuckling. “Nothing so underhanded. I've simply given him the means to express his true feelings for our darling princess. Isn't that right?”

 

“Is she in our way?” he mumbled.

 

“Yes, she knows far too much. You don't want her telling Wakana before we're good and ready, right?”

 

“Right...right...she's got to go.” He slammed a Memory into the port carved into his skin, the digital bark of _VIOLENCE_ drowning out his gasp as his body was bloated out into the bulky Dopant from earlier.

 

Fear and survival instinct surged through Akiko and practically before she could think she found herself up onto the desk and leaping straight for the window, the Dopant's heavy arm smashing a crater into the floor behind her. Mercifully the glass wasn't reinforced and she went straight through, hitting the pavement outside hard.

 

The next ten minutes were a painful stumbling blur, with the thump of the Dopant's footsteps always just a corner behind, tireless, relentless. Finally she collapsed halfway down a secluded alley, pretty sure it hadn't spotted her going this way. She'd definitely seen better days. On top of the exhaustion, she knew there were cuts and bruises all over, and she didn't dare to look down and overwhelm herself with the specifics. Drenched too—at some point in that blur it had started to rain, and the overhang of the building she was slumped against did little more than concentrate it into larger droplets, impacting every half second or so on her head and shoulders.

 

_Quick thinking helps make a detective, I guess...but you can't make it just running away. Damn it! I should have_ done _something—Miss Wakana needs my..._

 

_Why are my arms so stiff?_

 

She loosened her grip on what she now realised was the bag of clay fragments; she hadn't even realised she'd snatched it before escaping.

 

_Then what's been keeping me going wasn't being scared for my own life...that's right. I have to protect this. Protect_ her.

 

_Because a maid doesn't leave a job half-done._ She gripped the bag again.

 

_Because a detective doesn't abandon a client._ She smacked her fist against the wall, dragging herself up to her feet.

 

Stealth in mind, she tossed the headdress and apron away, leaving a simple black dress. _And because I've never fallen so hard for anyone in my life._

 

“Look at the state of you.”

 

Akiko froze; one minute, there had been no-one, and the next minute, it was as if the woman in the black coat had always been there. Between her wide hat, her unnecessary sunglasses and the bandages below them, not an inch of her face was visible.

 

“Who—”

 

“You're pressed for time, aren't you? Just assume I know everything. I generally do. Just tell me what you're planning to do.” She paused, then grudgingly: “Call me Shroud.”

 

Akiko was in the zone, now; this barely fazed her. And there was something strangely reassuring (familiar, even?) about Shroud's manner, despite her cold tone.“They won't want me returning this, so if they can't find me, they'll head back and watch Wakana. Motoko might even manage to convince her lackey to finish her off himself, if she can make out that he's failed to...I don't know, win her over, whatever twisted idea she's been feeding him.”

 

“Good! I underestimated you, girl. When things get desperate enough, there is a bit of him in you after all.” Shroud held out her hand. “Give me that. I'll deliver it. They'll only kill you if you go.”

 

Akiko clutched the bag to her chest, eyes fierce. “This is my _job_. This is _both_ my jobs.”

 

“That's it! There's fire in you yet. Maybe I overlooked you. You can be useful...” Shroud didn't so much walk up to her as start to move, then in a blink had already crossed the entire distance. “If I fan those flames a little.” She dug something bulky out from her coat, pressing it into Akiko's free hand.

 

The dishevelled detective stared at the belt. “Hey, this looks like Sho's, but...not quite. Is this a Driver?”

 

“It was your father's. So was this,” Shroud said, slipping a slim Gaia Memory into Akiko's front pocket. “I retrieved them from the island where the Sonozakis killed him.”

 

“W...What?

 

“Dad was...no! He's just—”

 

“Away? He's been away awfully long, hasn't he? And no-one will tell you what happened?”

 

“I...”

 

“But don't worry. Your _sweetheart_ isn't like them. You can save her from the rest of them. Burn them to the ground. I've given you the power. Hate them! Hate enough to burn the world!”

 

Akiko blinked, snapping out of her trance, and Shroud was gone.

 

_Dad...Dad can't be...that's..._ But there had been some undeniable force in Shroud's words. She hadn't lied. Akiko lifted her head towards the grey sky, cool rain washing away hot tears.

 

“You were scared, right, Sho? You didn't know how to tell me...you idiot...”

 

Grip turning white-knuckled, she marched back towards where she'd begun.

 

* * *

 

 

Wakana gave a pained gasp, thrashing around before regaining control. Staying in Dopant form this long really wasn't healthy, especially with pieces missing like this. Even the nigh-indestructible Clay Doll had its limit.

 

A footstep filled her with hope. _That girl actually—_

 

“Stayed put, eh?” Motoko jeered. “Either you're more pathetic than I thought, or you had a lot of misplaced faith in that maid.”

 

“That's a _detective_ under my employ,” Wakana hissed, holding in a piece of her shattered stomach that threatened to come off. “What did you do to her?”

 

“Oh, she's around, here and there...and there...and—”

 

“I _get_ it! You're going this far for what, listeners? How petty can you be?”

 

“I used to be the talk of the city! Everyone's friend, you know? Then along you come, propelled on daddy's money, and I'm barely an afterthought! Tsuyoshi!”

 

“Y-Yes?” Still in Dopant form, he lumbered up behind her.

 

Motoko pointed to her injured competitor. “Is that monster really the woman you love anymore? Do you want this to be the last memory you have of her?”

 

“I...uh...”

 

“Crush that thing. Preserve your mind's perfect image—”

 

“Hey!” Akiko's hoarse voice rang across the tarmac square. “Not one more step.”

 

“Oh? You made it?” Motoko turned to greet her, then froze mid-gloat. “...what. Is that.”

 

Akiko clicked the Driver belt tight around her waist, holding up the Memory, rain trickling off the reflective plastic. “Wish you'd bought a Memory for yourself too. I'd love to hand the both of ya a beating.

 

“ _Transform!”_

 

_SKULL!_

 

Arcs of energy burst from the Driver as soon as she slammed the Memory in, coalescing into a cloud of tiny metal shards that settled all over her body, seamlessly forming together into an armoured battle-suit, bone-patterned and topped with a ragged white scarf.

 

While her assailants backed warily away, Wakana gazed in silence, awed. _Akiko is...?_

 

“You know what I am, right?” Akiko started taking slow steps forwards, keeping them tense with her lack of sudden movements. “You know that this city, and everyone in it, is under my protection.”

 

Tsuyoshi was moving with no prompting, leaping at Akiko and bringing his heavy club-arm down at her. “You're in my way—” he snarled as his blow crashed against her raised forearm. “—Kamen Rider!”

 

“Hell yes I am,” she said. He was blown back by three rounds from the pistol now held in her other hand. “And don't think you're getting some drawn-out fight with me. I'm just about done with today.” She picked up the retrieved bag and tossed it over to Wakana, who hurriedly tugged it open and absorbed the clay pieces back into her body, slipping back into human form with a relieved sigh.

 

Tsuyoshi tried to get to his feet, but a quick roundhouse put him back on the ground, Akiko spinning back to her original position and slotting the Skull Memory into the slot at the back of her gun.

 

_SKULL! MAXIMUM DRIVE!_

 

The Dopant tried to shift into his bulkier, boulder-like form but it was too late; a deep purple beam leapt from the barrel and pierced right through him, the resulting explosion leaving a charred circle on the ground containing his unconscious human body and the shattered Violence Memory.

 

“Don't you go anywhere,” she said as Motoko began slinking off, putting a bullet into the wall just beside her, the shock causing the mastermind to faint on the spot. Sighing, Akiko removed the Memory, her Rider armour vanishing and leaving her if anything more dishevelled than before, sucking in the evening air and letting the adrenaline wear off.

 

_Did you see me, dad?_

 

_She said this was yours...I'll continue your work for you. Sho isn't your only successor, all right?_

 

Wakana was approaching her unsteadily, studying her face. She finally put a delicate hand to it, wiping away the day's dirt. “I really thought too little of you...and...I asked too much of you. You poor thing, look at you...”

 

Akiko reached up and took hold of the hand, slowly moving it down and keeping it clasped between them. “You were scared, and you asked for help. I've been there. I couldn't ignore that.”

 

“I still...I really feel like I haven't been looking at you properly. I only let myself see the bubbly little maid...behind it was such a strong, caring person, who desperately loves me.”

 

At the mention the dynamic seemed to change; Akiko seemed so small to herself, and Wakana so beautiful and _wow_ , girls were just  _really great,_ which was far too awkward a thought for this kind of moment but there it was.

 

“I-I dunno if I'd say anything as strong as 'love', Miss—”

 

“Let me be dramatic for a minute.” Wakana bent down slightly to kiss her on the forehead. It was a spot of warmth in a cool evening and suddenly her whole body was warm and—

 

“Then do it properly.” After a moment, she raised her head and gently pulled Wakana's lips down into hers.

 

It was like nothing else, at least until Wakana's neck started to ache so she took off her heels and they tried again from a (somewhat) more even height, which was wonderful. By that point they were really rain-soaked, but in the ten seconds before they ran inside shivering, it was wonderful.

 

* * *

 

 

“You're back la— _Akiko!_ Hey!” Shotaro came rushing over, frantic with concern. “What happened to you?”

 

“We'll trade,” she said, her voice flat with exhaustion. She held up the belt and Memory she'd been given. “I'll tell you _all_ about it—you tell me about dad. Everything.”

 

“H-Hey, this is dangerous!” He tried to grab the belt from her hands. “C'mon, you shouldn't be messing around with this—” They stumbled together as her fingers locked around it, clinging tight despite her fatigue.

 

“Don't give me that,” she growled, going limp for a second then suddenly tearing it away from him. “Like you guys aren't in danger every time? We're _all_ barely grown up, just...chasing his shadow, right?”

 

“Akiko, there is no way I'm letting—”

 

“ _Hidari!_ I saved someone's life with this! If all you want to do is keep me safe, even if that means not letting me _do_ anything, then this—this friendship, this partnership, this detective agency—is over.” She bit her lip, shocked at the hurt expression she'd produced in him. She didn't want to—but she'd had to say it—but—

 

“I...didn't mean it like that...” He looked away, fumbling with his hat.

 

“Shotaro.” They both jumped on realising that Philip was peering out the doorway to the hangar. “We should tell her what she wants to know.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” Sho took a deep breath. “Right you are, partner. But first...” He marched over to Akiko, holding up a finger. “You can—you can end this agency if you want. Evict us, sell this place, do what you want. But Philip and I won't stop. We don't know anything else, and...this city is crying. So we'll keep going, with or without you. But...I guess...I'd prefer not to lose a friend.”

 

She slapped him on the shoulder, a little harder than intended, a nearby wall saving him from falling over completely. “No more secrets, all right? Then we can start wiping away Fuuto's tears, together.”

 

He straightened up, studying her eyes, looking past the girl he thought he'd got the measure of and seeing something of her old man—then looking past _that_ and seeing the true steel at her core, something unbreakable and _hers_.

 

“You got it, Boss.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You don't ever find it demeaning?” Wakana asked, watching Akiko dust under a painting.

 

“Not really...I'm used to odd jobs, and I overhear stuff about Memories and all...really helps to stay in the know.” She put the duster down and skipped over, going to poke her employer and arguably-girlfriend's nose. “And I get to spend more time around you, of course—”

 

Wakana caught her wrist just before contact, turning on that commanding stare that turned her to jelly. “Getting awfully casual with your employer, aren't you?”

 

“I-I-I...” Eventually, Akiko was released (from both the hold and the Look), finding her composure. “I'll get...back to...uh...talk to you later?” As intense as that presence was, she wasn't frightened by it. Overwhelmed, yes, but...it was a big part of why she was drawn to the girl. She was so _much_.

 

_From where I'm standing, this case is still open. You asked me to save you, so I will. Before you become like the rest of this family._

 

_Shroud told me to hate 'em. That ain't hard._

**Author's Note:**

> This could be a one-shot, or I could eventually come back and write a part 2. Not sure at this point.


End file.
